CHENNAI: It would not be an exaggeration to say that RM Veerappan, as MGR’s manager, was witness to and closely aided the leader’s emergence as a political leader from the big screen. MGR’s first electoral victory as a DMK candidate in 1967 had imprints of Veerapan’ strategy.
After MGR sustained a gunshot injury ahead of the election, he arranged for the makkal thilagam’s picture from hospital with a bandage around his neck to be spread across Tamil Nadu to garner sympathy.
Born in Vallathirakottai in Pudukkottai district on September 9, 1926, Veerapan, or RMV as he was popularly called later, discontinued his studies as he was smitten by theatre and joined the drama troupe of TKS Brothers. Later, he came into contact with Periyar EV Ramasamy in 1945 and became his assistant.
It was during this period that he came in touch with stalwarts like Anna, Karunanidhi and MGR. His close ties with MGR lasted till the latter’s death in 1987.
When MGR launched his political party in 1972 and the elections it faced subsequently, Veerappan played a key role in charting the party’s victories. Senior journalist Durai Karuna recalled Veerappan’s role in AIADMK’s victory in the 1984 Assembly election when party founder MGR was undergoing treatment at Brooklyn Hospital in the US. Opposition parties had raised questions and suspicions about his ill-health. He effectively countered them by widely releasing videotapes showing MGR talking to others at the hospital.
In 1988, Veerappan became the joint deputy general secretary of the AIADMK. Karuna recalled that MGR helped him start his own film-producing company Sathya Movies, through which he produced many box-office hits starring MGR himself and other leading actors.
Though he was initially not in support of Jayalalithaa, he eventually rallied behind her and became a minister when she became the chief minister for the first time in 1991. A meeting organised to celebrate the success of Rajinikanth-starrer Baasha, co-produced by RMV, would prove to be a turning point in Veerapan’s political career.
At the function in which RMV was also on the dais, Rajinikanth alleged that “bomb culture” has increased in Tamil Nadu and the state would become a “crematorium” if this was not ended.
Upset over his remarks, Jayalalithaa summoned Veerappan to her residence. She avoided meeting him and instead asked him over intercom in a voice seething with anger as to why he did not counter the actor’s remarks on stage, Veerappan shared in an interview later.
Soon after, he was dropped from the ministry and later expelled from AIADMK in September that year. On October 17, the birth anniversary of MGR, he floated his own political party MGR Kazhagam.
Veteran journalist Tharasu Shyam recalled that after the death of MGR, Veerappan wanted to be the chief minister but it did not materialise. He also recalled that the supporters of MGR did not relish Veerappan supporting DMK in later years since he owed his growth to MGR.
In the 2001 Assembly elections, Veerappan’s MGR Kazhagam contested two seats in the DMK-led alliance. Out of his interest in Tamil literature, he served as the president of Kamban Kazhagam and Azhwarkal Aaivu Maiyam. Chief Minister MK Stalin, in his condolence message, said his death is an “irreparable loss to film industry as well as politics.” AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, former chief minister O Panneerselvam, PMK founder S Ramadoss, CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan, CPI State secretary R Mutharasan, Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani, DMDK general secretary Premalath Vijayakant, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, and VK Sasikala were among those who condoled his death.